To Die Trying
by lazyhazycrazy.days
Summary: "I'll let you in on a secret: there is no such thing as cheating. You win, you live. You lose, you die."
1. Prologue

**Disclaimer: I do not own Narnia, nor any of the characters or places you recognize.**

* * *

><p>The clattering sound of metals striking against each other echoed in the valley. Wind carried the cries of the wounded through the air. Fallen warriors lay forgotten on the cold ground.<p>

I stared in shock at the scene before me. Never in my life had I seen such an image of pure destruction. Red blood stained the once beautifully green grass, and I willed myself to not become squeamish. There was no time for that, especially since we were becoming increasingly outnumbered by the minute. Even if there had been time, I would have taken it to mourn for those we lost.

A soldier of the enemy ran toward me now, his sword high in the air. I gulped, gripping my own sword tighter to prepare for his attack. He swung his sword toward my abdomen when he reached me, though I deflected his hit with my own sword. I grit my teeth and swung again, trying to remember my training. Defense is better than offense. Don't swing too widely. Keep your stance open, yet closed. Don't let one be a distraction for another.

Then, I heard the tearing of fabric and prayed that it wasn't mine. I looked down, grateful to not see any blood coming from my body. The enemy grunted as I blocked another swipe, this time forcing his sword father away from his body, and took a final strike to his neck. I turned away quickly, not wanting to see the carnage I had caused. This was war, and casualties are guaranteed, but that didn't mean I had to like it.

I looked around the valley again, hoping to see a familiar face. There he was, a few feet away from me, taking on two separate enemies. I smiled inwardly and took off at a run to help him, slashing my sword around me along the way, hoping to at least wound a few enemy soldiers to help my side. Another enemy soldier was sneaking up behind him, his sword raised.

My eyes widened as I screamed, "Behind you!"

He spun around quickly, swinging his sword in a wide arc, taking down the man before he spun again to continue fighting the other two. I had finally reached him by this point, and I got the attention of one of the men. We fought together for a few moments before this particular battle was over.

"Don't let one be a distraction for another," I said, reminding him of what he had taught me with a direct quote.

He laughed once. "Thanks, I'll remember that."

I felt his hand slip into mine and give it a gentle squeeze. I forced a smile to my lips, fighting back tears that were threatening to escape my eyes. No, I need to be strong, but I just wanted this battle to be over. Four men were slowly surrounding us, and I knew this moment was short lived. He turned his back nearly flush against mine now as we prepared for the newest attack.

I heard him take a deep breath. "Are you ready?"

"Do I have a choice?" I asked.

Somehow I knew he was smiling. They were getting closer now. "On the count of three," he said, and I nodded. "One…two…three!"

And we lunged into battle, seemingly fearless, but truthfully terrified.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: So, what do you think? I know this is a really short prologue, but it's actually a glimpse in the future, so to speak. This is my first shot at a Narnia story ever, so all feedback is loved and appreciated! I have about half of this story written, though I haven't decided on an update schedule yet. Oh, and I should also add, if first person stories aren't really your cup of tea, this is the only chapter that is going to be in first person. I just liked the way it came out.**

**Much love,**


	2. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: Yeah, I still don't own anything.**

* * *

><p>A small breeze blew through the leaves on the warm March day. It was nearly impossible to believe that just last week, the air was too chilly to leave the indoors without the comfort of a jacket, though now many people had pulled their lighter clothes from storage, and those jackets were now pushed farther back into the closet for another year. Actually, it was much too early in the year for the weather to be turning, but that could easily be attributed to global warming or something like that.<p>

Emily stretched out on the old, tattered blanket beneath her. When most of her classmates had been talking about going swimming in Lake Michigan, she had grabbed a book and a few snacks before heading out to Loyola Park, the one place in the city she claimed to be her own. It took a little time to get to, seeing as it was so far north, but that was honestly part of the park's appeal. Something about the isolation of it all was comforting to her. It wasn't that she was anti-social, she just found solace in her own thoughts and having the ability to get away from the noises of the city.

She smiled to herself as she continued on to the next chapter of Beauty and the Beast. It wasn't necessarily her favorite novel, but it would do. Actually, she found that she preferred the book to any version of the movie, though most of the time the writers did a decent job adjusting it for the big screen. Still, they usually omitted most of what made the story to incredibly romantic since it wouldn't keep audiences as well.

The waves of the lake crashed against the beach, creating a soothing atmosphere, aiding her in becoming even more engrossed in the story. A man jobbed by with his dog, followed by a couple of bikers, but no one else stopped and relaxed like she had. It seemed that everyone always had somewhere to be in the city, so she was lucky to have a few hours to spare.

"Emily!"

She glanced up from the page at the sound of her name, hoping that whoever it was was calling for someone else with the same name, but she never had that kind of luck. After marking her place in the book, she sat up to face her best friend jogging toward her, waving with his hand in the air.

"How did you find me?" she asked as he sat down next to her on the blanket.

He scoffed. "It's not like you're difficult to predict, Em. You do this every year on the first day of good weather."

"You know me too well, Caleb."

Caleb grinned at me before picking up her book and thumbing through it. "So, what are we doing for my birthday?"

She groaned, her face twisting into a grimace, and crossed her arms, trying to come up with a good excuse to not do anything. Unfortunately, he read her silence easily.

"Oh no," he said. "You're not getting out of this. I'm eighteen today!"

"But, Caleb," she whined. "I have too much to do. Besides, I lost my id."

He shook his head, grinning. "Nope, I have it. See, I knew that you would pull this crap, so I planned ahead."

Emily groaned again. He really did know her too well, but after spending your entire life with someone, it tends to have that effect. See, their dads were close friends in college and kept in touch after they graduated. They were even each other's Best Man and their weddings too, and somehow even planned a pregnancy right, though Caleb was two months older than Emily. And since they had been together since birth, their dads liked to entertain the idea that the two would get married someday, but according to both of them, that was entirely unlikely seeing as they had tried a couple years ago, and had failed.

Caleb smiled wider at Emily, knowing that he had her right where he wanted her. He knew that despite her cold front that she displayed for the rest of the world, that she was actually quite easily manipulated with a soft heart, especially when it came to him. That was also why he was her only real friend; no one took the time to work past that rough exterior to get to know her because she rebuffed them so quickly. She groaned again, throwing her head backward.

"Fine," she said, "But not until tomorrow."

This time Caleb groaned. "But Emmy." She scowled at his use of her childhood nickname to which he returned with a wide grin. "My birthday's today!"

Emily shook her head, and pushed her light brown hair out of her face quickly. She wanted to cut it, but her mother would hear of no such thing because 'girls don't have short hair'. "Tomorrow or nothing, take it or leave it," she said with a smug grin.

He nodded. "We'll see."

Then he took off at a run across the grass. It took her a few seconds to realize what he meant until he was about fifteen feet away, grinning and waving her book above his head, taunting her. She felt blood rushing to her face as anger swept over her.

"Come back here with that!" she yelled, standing up and running toward him. He could be so infuriating when he wanted to be. If there was one thing that Emily didn't joke about, it was the condition of her books.

She was, again, playing right into his hand, but they did have a certain sibling-like pull over each other. He would wait until she was fairly close to him, then turn and run again, laughing. Emily followed him until he ran behind a fairly large, mangled-looking tree and disappeared from view. She slowed to a jog, panting and trying to straighten her dress. The wind had suddenly started to pick up and she was having a difficult time keeping the hem of her dress down and her hair out of her eyes.

"Caleb, I swear, if you don't give me my book, I'll-," she began then fell backward, landing with a soft thud on the grass. She gathered herself for a moment, realizing that she much have run straight in Caleb's back.

She pushed herself up from the ground, quickly snatching her book from his hand before he could run off again. She nudged his arm in triumph, but Caleb ignored her, and continued to stare straight ahead, his mouth hanging open slightly.

"Fine, I'll go tonight. There's no need to be so dramatic," she said, forcing a smile. He glanced over to her for a moment, shaking his head. She rolled her eyes, and turned back to gather her other belongings so they could leave, but they weren't where she had left them. They hadn't run that far, so they should still be on the ground a few feet away, but there was nothing there. Emily smiled to herself, coming to a reasonable conclusion.

"Oh you're so clever! Get my attention with the book and have someone else take my stuff, right?" she asked with a knowing smile. "Who did you get to help you? It was Glen wasn't it?"

When Caleb didn't respond again, she shoved his arm roughly, and he finally turned his head toward her fully with wide eyes. "Em, where are we?" he asked.

"If you're trying to scare me, it isn't going to work," she insisted sharply.

"Would stop being so cynical for two minutes? Look over there."

Her eyes followed his finger to where he was pointing, and, sure enough, they weren't in Chicago anymore. A large beautifully white castle stood in the distance on a hill. Castles were not a permanent fixture in Chicago. Emily spun around, taking in the forest around her. Even the trees looked different, greener perhaps, and the sun seemed to shine brighter, though it was beginning to set. She frowned, trying to make sense of what had happened, and how they could have possibly gotten somewhere that was so obviously not Chicago.

She glanced over to Caleb and groaned. "Oh Caleb, what did you do?"

* * *

><p><strong>AN: And there's the first chapter! I decided to go ahead and update to give everyone a better feel for the story, and I realized just how short the prologue really was! Comments, critiques, and criticisms are welcome. Thanks for reading!**


	3. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: I do not own Narnia; I just play with the characters a little bit.**

* * *

><p>Caleb turned to Emily with an incredulous look on his face. "Why did I have to be the one to have done something?"<p>

She rolled her eyes, cocking her head to the side with a smile. "Because you were the one who ran behind the tree," she answered simply.

He scowled at her then turned around, trying to gather his bearings. "We should just go back the way we came," he suggested.

She scoffed and wrapped her arms around her body. The air was steadily getting colder and wearing a breezy, strapless spring dress was not exactly the best choice in attire with a setting sun. She glanced back toward the castle Caleb had pointed out moments before. The shadows that were being cast by the tall spires were beautiful, and she couldn't help but feel entranced by the magnificent architecture of the building.

"Oh I'm so glad I have you here! I'd never have thought of that," Emily said, sarcasm dripping from every word. "There is no 'back the way we came'!"

Before Caleb could respond, they both jumped at the sound of leaves rustling nearby, though they didn't find anything for the source of the sound when they searched. The noise came again a few moments later, though now farther to the right. Emily clutched Caleb's arm, though both of them knew that if it came to it, he couldn't protect either of them.

"You wouldn't happen to have anything on you we could use as protection?" he whispered.

She narrowed her eyes, shaking her head in response. "Sure, let me pull out my nun chucks. I'm wearing a dress!"

He grinned slightly. "Honest question. Who's there?" he called out suddenly.

She stepped back, shocked by his action, though never letting go of his arm. "That's your brilliant plan? Caleb, that's the beginning of the end of every bad slasher movie to date."

He scowled at her again. "No, standing in the middle of a field waiting to be attacked is. Show yourself!"

The sound of leaves rustling came again as they spun around, trying to find the source, though finding nothing. Emily found herself hoping that it was just the wind, but the timing of the rustlings was too convenient to be the wind. She glanced down when Caleb shook his arm, surprised that she had been clinging to him so tightly. She loosened her grip, but didn't relinquish his arm completely.

"No need to be so stern," said a soft female voice. "I was merely observing you before making my presence known."

The pair turned sharply in the direction of the voice, and Emily might have collapsed if Caleb hadn't grabbed hold of her arms. 'This has to be some sort of perverted dream,' Emily thought. To her, this couldn't be reality, especially since a badger, of all things, was now approaching them, smiling and carrying a basket of food.

Emily glanced up toward Caleb's face to find that his expression was quite calm, though she had no idea how he could be any more calm than she. After all, they were in some strange place, alone, with no way to get back home, and now a badger was talking to them as a human would. She took one hand off Caleb's arm and pinched her other arm quickly, to check for pain. She gasped when she felt the sting of the pinch. This wasn't a dream?

The badger stood in front of the pair, with a worried expression on its face, as if a badger could show worry. "Is she going to be alright?" it asked. "She looks quite pale."

Caleb laughed, he actually laughed. "Well this is one hell of a dream," he said. "She'll be fine. I'm Caleb and this is Emily."

The badger bowed with a smile. 'Maybe this was a hallucination, not a dream. It could make sense, feeling pain and all,' Emily thought.

"Pleased to meet you Son of Adam and Daughter of Eve. My name is Lyriel," the badger apparently named Lyriel said. Emily had no idea that hallucinations could become so vivid, giving the beings in them actual names.

She felt Caleb nudge her, finally succeeding in prying her stiff fingers from his arm. It was truly miraculous that she didn't fall over from shock.

"Don't be rude, Em. Say 'hello'," he insisted.

Emily whispered a greeting that could be interpreted as 'hello' though it was really just a quick mumble of sounds. The badger smiled again, and turned, motioning for the pair to follow her. She glanced over to Caleb, who smiled and followed the animal, ignoring all of Emily's silent protests. She huffed, and decided to follow them, not wanting to be alone in the woods at night.

"Are you from the land of Spare Oom?" Lyriel asked, trying to make polite conversation as we walked.

"We're from Chicago," Caleb answered when he could tell that I wasn't going to. "Where is Spare Oom?"

Lyriel laughed and slowed her pace as the group approached a hut attached to a dam that could only be her home. "That's where our kings and queens hail from. You aren't Narnian, of course, since you both are so oddly dressed. I'm sorry, I should not have assumed."

Caleb shrugged. "No need to be sorry. But can you tell us how we got here?"

They walked inside her burrow, Caleb being forced to stoop more than Emily, and Lyriel began to putter around, grabbing pots and pain and food in her basket. "I was more hoping you could tell me, Son of Adam."

"Why do you keep calling him 'Son of Adam'?" Emily asked, finally finding her voice, though she instantly wished she hadn't since the question sounded so rude.

"You are both human, are you not?" They nodded. "That's what we call male humans in Narnia. You would be a Daughter of Eve, miss."

Emily wanted nothing more than to run away screaming, wake up, or just something. She sighed and leaned against Caleb, who instinctively put his arm around her shoulders. She felt comforted by his familiar touch, and nearly lost all her anxiety. Nearly.

"Anyway, I can only imagine that Aslan sent for you two, what with the whispers of an uprising. Narnia probably needs more help."

Caleb and Emily exchanged glances, both now more confused than before. Being in a strange place with talking badgers was one thing. Fighting an uprising for a place they didn't even know existed until an hour before was something completely and totally different. The tea kettle which Lyriel had placed over the fire whistled, and she removed it, offering both teens a warm cup of tea, which they took gratefully.

"Who's Aslan? What uprising? Why would this place need our help?" Caleb asked. Emily found that she was glad that he was finally cutting to the chase instead of going with the flow of things with the badger. 'Maybe we're finally on the same page,' she thought.

Lyriel let out what could only be described as a high pitched giggle. "So many questions," she said, still laughing. "Aslan is, of course, the Great Lion, and King of Narnia. Of the uprising, I can only say what the trees have told me." She paused for a moment when Emily nearly choked on her tea. What the trees told her? "From the East, there have been rumors of a rebel group known only as the Hostiles, and they oppose the leadership of our great Kings and Queens of Narnia. For the matter of why we would need your help that is only a question the Great Aslan can answer."

"How can we help though? I've never fought anything a day in my life," Emily protested.

"Unless you count verbally," Caleb commented after taking a sip of his tea, causing Emily to glare at him.

"You obviously have the wrong people, Lyriel. We just want to go back home."

"Speak for yourself." Emily looked to Caleb, shocked. "When was the last time we had an adventure, Em?"

"I'd rather not die in a fictional land, thank you very much."

"Would you lighten up? You're always so negative!"

"Oh, am I? Forgive me for being realistic!"

Lyriel, who had been observing the two teens during their argument, spoke up. "Perhaps I could teach you both what I know of archery. After all, if it was Aslan who brought you here, then I imagine that you won't be leaving until your work here is finished. I could also make you both some clothing. You may as well look as though you belong in Narnia."

"That's sounds fantastic," Caleb said. "Thank you, Lyriel. We'll be happy to help you in any way we can, right, Emily?"

She glowered at the pair and crossed her arms, not wanting to amid defeat. If there really was no going back home then she would just have to adjust to be there until that time came. It didn't mean that she had to like it, and she certainly didn't. Caleb nudged her arm in an attempt to get her to answer his question. She sighed before uncrossing her arms.

"Oh fine," she finally said, knowing, deep down, she would probably come to regret it.

* * *

><p><strong>And there's chapter two! Thank you for the reviews, alerts, and favorites; it means a lot to me! Next chapter is all Pevensie, so get ready for that. What do you think? Like it, love it, hate it, despise it? I'd love some more reviews to tell me what you like and don't like, or what I could improve upon. Remember, I'm new to writing, so it would be great for some more feedback!<strong>


	4. Chapter 3

**I'm so sorry this has taken so long, everyone! I've been caught up with finals and studying for them that this story fell onto the back burner, so to speak. I'll update as fast as I can, promise! In response to Huge Potter Fan, yes this is set during the Golden Age. Anyway, as a _disclaimer_, I'm just a fan and am in no way affiliated with C.S. Lewis. Enjoy!**

* * *

><p>A long groan came from one of the large golden thrones at the front of the hall in Cair Paravel where the royals were conducting a meeting. Since Narnia was in a time of peace, and had been for the past seven years, this was not a meeting of war, but instead this meeting was meant to discuss the party the two queens were planning in honor of the High King's twenty-first birthday. The groan had come from said king while his sisters discussed whom they should invite.<p>

"Oh, do grow up, Peter," Susan said, turning her attention toward her brother. Lucy giggled beside her.

"It's just another birthday!" Peter insisted, reclining in his thrown. He heard Edmund chuckled beside him, thus he turned his head sharply toward his brother to offer him a glower.

"Actually, it's your twenty-first birthday, Peter. This is a big deal," Lucy said. "Besides, we haven't hosted as grand of a party as we're planning in ages!"

Peter crossed his arms. "Perhaps the one from last month," he mumbled darkly.

"Just concede defeat, Pete," Edmund suggested with another chuckle.

Peter knew there was no getting through to his sisters once they had set their minds to something; however, he wished they had decided to plant a nice garden, not plan his birthday party. Honestly, they were going to too much trouble. He knew there would have to be some sort of affair to celebrate with the people of Narnia and perhaps the royals of Archenland and Calormen, but his sisters were discussing hosting a ball of all things!

"Why can't we just hold a festival for the people of Narnia and have a family feast with King Lune and his family like last year?" Peter asked, growing desperate for some sort of control over the situation.

"As we said before, this is your twenty-first birthday," Susan said, annoyance showing in her voice. "We're not asking your permission, merely informing you of our ideas."

The queens grinned widely at Peter, who threw his hands into the air, finally admitting his defeat since he didn't have any more suggestions as alternatives to the situation. Also, they obviously were not going to budge from their plans.

The sound of a throat being cleared came from the end of the hall and the four royalties stood in unison and straightened their clothing as Peter called for the person to enter. The centaur named Oreius walked through the doors and bowed to the four as they each took a seat once more.

"Your Majesties," Oreius said, bowing once more, "I have grave news."

The four siblings exchanged glances before turning their attentions back on the centaur in front of them. 'Grave news' was never a term they wanted to hear, especially since there hadn't been any signs of disturbance in Narnia since Battle of Beruna seven years ago.

"What is it, Oreius?" Peter asked, his concern showing in his voice.

"I have been watching the stars, your Majesty, reading them," Oreius answered. "There is a prophecy that has been foretold."

The four royalties shifted nervously in their thrones. Again, a prophecy was almost never good news. In fact, prophecies almost always had at least one bad element to them, a fact that the four kings and queens were well aware of.

"Yes?" Susan pressed, becoming anxious.

Oreius took a deep breath before beginning.

"Son of Adam and Daughter Eve,

To the Crown, one shall deceive.

The old evil shall return once more,

And Narnia shall once again be at war.

Both have to relinquish something held dear,

And gone shall be times of fear."

The four siblings were silent after Oreius finished speaking, unsure about what to say. They were each contemplating the meaning of his words, trying to draw their own conclusion about what was going to happen to Narnia.

"How long do we have?" Edmund asked, ever the tactical mind.

The centaur frowned, bowing his head. "It has already begun, your Majesty."

The kings and queens exchanged glances once more before Peter turned toward the uncomfortable Oreius. He knew the centaur did not wish to be telling them this horrible news, but he was grateful for it, nevertheless.

"Thank you, Oreius," the High King said with a reassuring smile. "Go enjoy your evening, dear friend."

Oreius smiled in thanks, and then bowed again before exiting the room. Susan and Edmund began speaking immediately, not wasting a moment to share their thoughts on what the prophecy could mean. Lucy was the only one who appeared to be dumbfounded, unsure of what exactly to make of the words. To her, it was indeed grave news, but they had dealt with a war before, right? How different could two wars be from each other?

"Another war!" Edmund exclaimed. "All because some man and woman are coming here!"

"We can't draw that conclusion," Susan insisted. "We had a prophecy on us too, remember?"

"Yes, and we made something happen in Narnia. Granted, it was for the good."

"Therefore, we can't say that this man and woman are out to harm us until we have more information!"

"Really? 'To the crown, one shall deceive'? That doesn't sound threatening at all."

"How about 'both shall have to relinquish something held dear and gone shall be the times of fear'? That means they are going to save us in my book."

"Enough, you two!" Peter yelled. "Let's just calmly assess this, line by line then. No yelling, no interrupting." Peter looked pointedly at Edmund, who put up in hands in mock surrender.

"Son of Adam and Daughter of Eve, to the crown one shall deceive," Susan recited.

"Two people are going to come to Narnia, and one of them is going to lie to us," Edmund stated. Peter nodded in agreement; there wasn't really much arguing that fact. He looked to Susan and Lucy, but they offered no differing opinions.

"The old evil shall return once more, and Narnia shall once again be at war."

"The two people are going to cause a war in Narnia because it's going to stir up some 'old evil'," Edmund answered again.

"Actually, I think it means they are going to help us fight off this 'old evil'," Susan said, shaking her head in disagreement.

"We should be more concerned about the identity of this 'old evil'," Peter said.

"Isn't it obvious?" Edmund asked, crossing his arms. "It's Her, obviously."

"We don't know that, Ed," Peter disagreed. "It could be someone from before our time. Let's remember to go through some Narnian history books."

The other three nodded in agreement before Susan recited the final line of the prophecy. "Both have to relinquish something held dear, and gone shall be times of fear."

Despite his other opinions, Edmund had no advice on the meaning of this line. Instead, it was Lucy who offered her thoughts to the group. "This has less to do with us, and more to do with them," she said in a small voice.

Lucy's kind heart forced her to fear any sort of harm that should befall others. In fact, many times she would do her best to take said harm onto herself so others would not need to suffer. Perhaps that was what truly made her so valiant; she wasn't afraid of misfortune, instead she was afraid of others feeling the effects of it.

The four rulers fell silent again before Susan spoke. "So what are we going to do about this?" she asked.

"What do you mean? There's nothing to do but prepare for war," Peter said, confused.

Susan groaned. "Are you forgetting what else Oreius said? It's already begun. They're already here, Peter."

"Of course!" Edmund exclaimed, jumping up from his throne, making for the door. "Let's go find them!"

Peter rolled his eyes at his younger brother. "No, Ed. Susan and I will go, and you and Lucy will stay here. There isn't any reason to alarm the people of Narnia when all four of us go out riding into the night suddenly."

Edmund huffed, and crossed his arms, knowing that Peter was right. He strode back over to his throne and sat down as Peter and Susan stood to leave. Peter offered his arm to his sister as they exited the room to go prepare their horses.

"Be careful!" Lucy called after them. She turned to Edmund, who was still sulking in his throne. "Well, this is certainly a turn of events, isn't it, Ed?"

Edmund laughed and nodded. It certainly was.

* * *

><p>bSo, there you go! The first chapter with the Pevensies! Let me know what you think with that pretty review button! Thanks for reading!b


End file.
